RESERVISTS AND THE BALLOT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16916, 31 January 1917, Page 7

RESERVISTS AND THE BALLOT.

As a lot of inconvenience has been caused 1 to the men concerned and'also to tho Appeal Board, Lieutenant-colonel Stoneham, wrote to Mr Gray inquiring if men m the Reserve reaching 46 years of age were at once withdrawn from the Reserve and the ballot. The reply shows how \every -man reaching tho age of 46 years can have ius l name withdrawn from the ballot if he Bends ■ tho necessary proof. By doing so he will * savetho time of the Appeal Board as well as his own, and will save a lot of irritation Tho reply is as follows:—"With reference to the position of Reservists who reach 46 years of- age before beinjr called tip for service, it is impossible for the Government Statistician to go through his Reserve from time to timo to remove the names of moiy who are past military age. For one tiling, : he has not the time, and, secondly, he has ' no definite proof beyond the statement of * tho Reservist himself that his age is, as given in the National Register schedule. The Solicitor-general" has therefore ruled , that, except in cases whero a Reservist who '* reaches the age of 46 years sends to the Government Statistician sufficient proof of his date of birth, the names of these men *. are to remain in the Reserve, because a simple remedy is open to them if they are called up Iby ballot. • All that they require to do is to appeal on the ground that they ' are not Reservists and forward with the \. appeal either a copy of their certificate or " a statutory declaration- of their age. It would be much more convenient if every "i Reservist, on reaching the age of 46 years, forwarded an intimation of that fact to the Government Statistician, with sufficient proof of birth."